Article
Soil Science
Xinying Zhang, Juan Jia, Litong Chen, Haiyan Chu, Jin-Sheng He, Yangjian Zhang, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: This study provides regional-scale data on MNC accumulation in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, showing that the grasslands have low MNC concentrations in SOC due to high aridity and low net primary productivity. The findings highlight the influences of climate and plant factors on MNC accumulation at regional scales.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Baorong Wang, Shaoshan An, Chao Liang, Yang Liu, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: Microbial necromass contributes significantly to SOC sequestration, with higher contributions in grassland and forest soils compared to cropland soils. Fungal necromass has a larger contribution to SOC than bacterial necromass, with the ratio of fungal:bacterial necromass increasing from croplands to forests. Additionally, factors such as temperature and soil pH affect the accumulation of fungal and bacterial necromass in different ecosystems.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Pengshuai Shao, Hongyan Han, Jingkuan Sun, Hongjun Yang, Hongtu Xie
Summary: This study found that high salinity in coastal wetlands restricts the accumulation of microbial residues and their contribution to the SOC pool, while low salinity wetlands have higher available soil resources, promoting microbial-derived C contribution to SOC.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Na Li, Na Zhao, Shixiao Xu, Yalin Wang, Lin Wei, Qian Zhang, Tongqing Guo, Xungang Wang
Summary: This study investigated the microbial necromass carbon in artificial grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and found that different plant compositions had varying effects on the accumulation of microbial necromass carbon, with perennial grasslands contributing more to soil organic carbon.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yuwei Liu, Xiaoming Zou, Han Y. H. Chen, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Cuiting Wang, Chen Zhang, Honghua Ruan
Summary: The frequency and intensity of droughts worldwide pose challenges to the conservation of soil organic carbon. In a 3-year field experiment in a forest plantation, the impacts of drought intensities on microbial necromass at different soil depths were investigated. The results showed that the effects of drought on microbial necromass depend on microbial groups, soil depth, and drought intensity.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Bin Jia, Li Jia, Xiao Ming Mou, Jie Chen, Fen-Can Li, Qiu-jin Ma, Xiao Gang Li
Summary: Shrubification increases phosphorus limitation to microorganisms, leading to decreased decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) and mitigated CO2 emissions in grasslands. Additionally, shrubification alters the composition of soil carbohydrate pools and microbial activity.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Xiuxiu Li, Jun Huang, Chenchen Qu, Wenli Chen, Chengrong Chen, Peng Cai, Qiaoyun Huang
Summary: This study investigated the accumulation patterns and controlling factors of microbial residues in croplands in eastern China by measuring amino sugars. The results showed that fungal-derived glucosamine accumulated more in cooler and drier sites, while bacterial-derived muramic acid had no obvious pattern. Iron and aluminum oxides primarily explained the variation in fungal-derived glucosamine, while pH and C/N ratio played a central role in the accumulation of bacterial-derived muramic acid.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erxiong Zhu, Zhenjiao Cao, Juan Jia, Chengzhu Liu, Zhenhua Zhang, Hao Wang, Guohua Dai, Jin-Sheng He, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: Subsoils globally contain more than 50% of soil organic carbon, yet their response to climate changes is under-investigated. A study on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau found that warming and drought treatments reduced organic carbon mineralization in subsoils, leading to decreased microbial activity and efficiency, while topsoils remained unaffected. This suggests that subsoil microbes may become inactive and inefficient under warming and drought conditions.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Nguyen-Sy Toan, Thi Dong Phuong Nguyen, Tran Thi Ngoc Thu, Duong Thi Lim, Pham Duy Dong, Nguyen Thanh Gia, Kuan Shiong Khoo, Kit Wayne Chew, Pau Loke Show
Summary: The study investigated the effects of rice straw and potential nitrogen fixing Bacillus subtilis on carbohydrate- and nitrogen mineralization in long-term rice paddy soil through anaerobic incubation. Results showed that decomposed carbohydrate ranged from 83-447 mg kg(-1) soil, with extracted carbohydrate not affected by rice straw application but significantly decreased with Bacillus sp. or rice straw-Bacillus sp. inoculation. Nitrogen mineralization increased with Bacillus sp. inoculation, while rice straw and combine treatments resulted in more nitrogen immobilization. Inoculation of Bacillus subtilis is recommended to enhance soil fertility and reduce nitrogen immobilization, with further research within rice plants needed to confirm these findings.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2021)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lei Deng, Changhui Peng, Dong-Gill Kim, Jiwei Li, Yulin Liu, Xuying Hai, Qiuyu Liu, Chunbo Huang, Zhouping Shangguan, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: Extreme droughts can have serious impacts on the pools, fluxes, and processes of terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycles. This study found that drought leads to a decrease in soil organic carbon content, an increase in mineral nitrogen content, and a decrease in nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates. The effects of drought on soil C and N cycles are regulated by ecosystem type, drought duration, and intensity.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Juan A. Blanco, Maria Duran, Josu Luquin, Leticia San Emeterio, Antonio Yeste, Rosa M. Canals
Summary: Soils store a significant amount of carbon in the form of decomposing organic matter, making it crucial to understand the factors that influence the incorporation of organic matter into the soil. A study was conducted in 16 different ecosystems in Navarre, Spain to examine the interactions between vegetation cover, climate, and soil factors. Results showed that vegetation cover type, soil C/N ratio, and precipitation influenced decomposition rates and stabilization factors. The study highlights the complex relationship between environmental factors and soil carbon flows, emphasizing the importance of ecosystem changes in carbon dynamics.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Guohua Dai, Shanshan Zhu, Yue Cai, Erxiong Zhu, Yufu Jia, Chengjun Ji, Zhiyao Tang, Jingyun Fang, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: Plant and microbial residues are the main sources of soil organic carbon (SOC). This study found that forests have lower microbial necromass in SOC compared to grasslands, indicating a higher contribution of plant-derived components to forest SOC. Plant-derived lignin phenols do not play a major role in SOC accumulation, while leaf- and root-derived hydrolysable lipids make up a higher proportion of SOC in forests. Soil pH, reactive iron and aluminum contents, and lignin oxidation are factors that influence the accumulation of plant lipids and SOC in forest soils.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hongwei Yu, Weixiao Qi, Xiaofeng Cao, Jingwen Hu, Yang Li, Jianfeng Peng, Chengzhi Hu, Jiuhui Qu
Summary: The study found that microplastics have negative impacts on wetland plant growth performance, soil microbial community structure, and soil chemical properties. The addition of microplastics alters seed germination strategies, reduces plant growth, and affects chlorophyll synthesis. Additionally, microplastics increase the concentration of reactive oxygen species in soil, leading to decreased soil enzyme activity.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Yufu Jia, Guoqing Zhai, Shanshan Zhu, Xiaojuan Liu, Bernhard Schmid, Zhiheng Wang, Keping Ma, Xiaojuan Feng
Summary: PSR positively affects SOC concentrations at both depths, with different mechanisms driving the relationship in the topsoil versus subsoil.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Khan, Becky A. Ball
Summary: The polar regions respond differently to climate change in terms of temperature and moisture. Soil microbes in polar deserts are co-limited by temperature and moisture, while the response in tundra ecosystems depends on the geographic location. Carbon and nitrogen cycles in polar regions are more sensitive to climate change, while phosphorus availability is not affected.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jiao Su, Haiyang Zhang, Xingguo Han, Ruofei Lv, Li Liu, Yong Jiang, Hui Li, Yakov Kuzyakov, Cunzheng Wei
Summary: Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere and the turnover of carbon in soils is influenced by the priming effect. This study found that the vulnerability of stable carbon to priming decreases with increasing soil stability. This highlights the importance of understanding the dynamics of carbon in soils for a better understanding of global carbon cycles.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francisco Matus, Daniela Mendoza, Francisco Najera, Carolina Merino, Yakov Kuzyakov, Kelly Wilhelm, Jens Boy, Felipe Aburto, Ignacio Jofre, Michaela A. Dippold
Summary: Antarctic King George Island is experiencing the most rapid warming in the Southern Hemisphere. This area has limited organic matter inputs, mainly from lichens, mosses, avian faeces, and two vascular plant species. This study investigated the effects of freezing and thawing cycles on the priming effect, finding that microorganisms in the soil preferentially use freeze-preserved SOC after thawing as an important energy source, leading to an intense priming effect.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Junxi Hu, Meilin Du, Jun Chen, Liehua Tie, Shixing Zhou, Kate M. Buckeridge, J. Hans C. Cornelissen, Congde Huang, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: Microbial necromass is an important component of soil organic matter, and global change factors have significant impacts on its formation and decomposition, although these impacts are poorly understood.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ranran Zhou, Yuan Liu, Jennifer A. J. Dungait, Amit Kumar, Jinsong Wang, Lisa K. Tiemann, Fusuo Zhang, Yakov Kuzyakov, Jing Tian
Summary: A meta-analysis of 481 paired measurements from cropland soils showed that cropland management practices significantly influence microbial necromass accumulation and its contribution to soil organic carbon (SOC). Nitrogen fertilization, cover crops, no or reduced tillage, manure, and straw amendment all increased microbial necromass accumulation. The optimal conditions for microbial necromass accumulation and its contribution to SOC sequestration require site-specific management.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jie Zhou, Yuan Wen, Matthias C. Rillig, Lingling Shi, Michaela A. Dippold, Zhaohai Zeng, Yakov Kuzyakov, Huadong Zang, Davey L. Jones, Evgenia Blagodatskaya
Summary: The Paris Climate Agreement aims to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees C, but evidence suggests that temperatures may rise up to 4.8 degrees C by 2100. It is important to investigate the impact of temperature on microbial regulation and soil organic matter stability. This study found that warming can increase microbial growth and turnover, but reduce catalytic efficiency and enzyme-mediated decomposition, resulting in nitrogen accumulation in microbial necromass. Including microbial metabolic responses in global carbon and nitrogen cycle models is crucial for improving climate warming predictions.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Hongliang Li, Haitao Zhu, Hongbo Li, Yuqiang Zhang, Sixin Xu, Shumei Cai, Alharbi Almwarai Sulaiman, Yakov Kuzyakov, Zed Rengel, Deshan Zhang
Summary: Microorganisms play a key role in the mobilization of phosphorus (P) and influence root traits and exudation related to nutrient acquisition in crops. This study evaluated the interactions between roots and microbes in low-P and high-P soil with or without straw addition. The findings highlight the temporal dynamics of root-microbe interactions in influencing crop P acquisition in low-P, straw-amended soil.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Jingwei Shi, Lei Deng, Anna Gunina, Sulaiman Alharbi, Kaibo Wang, Jiwei Li, Yulin Liu, Zhouping Shangguan, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: Forest restoration increases organic carbon (OC) sequestration mainly through increased litter input and improvements in soil structure. The long-term pathways of carbon stabilization within soil aggregates during forest succession are still unclear.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Xintan Zhang, Jie Wang, Xiangyan Feng, Haishui Yang, Yanling Li, Kuzyakov Yakov, Shiping Liu, Feng-Min Li
Summary: No-tillage with straw mulch is effective for soil sustainability, but its specific effects on soil organic carbon stocks and crop yield are uncertain. This study found that no tillage had minimal effects on soil organic carbon stocks but decreased crop yield compared to plow tillage with straw return. No-tillage with straw mulch resulted in improved soil aggregate stability and organic carbon content in the 0-5 cm layer, but decreased organic carbon content in the deeper layers due to reduced carbon input from roots and straw. While organic carbon stocks in micro-aggregates and mineral-associated organic matter did not vary between tillage practices, plow tillage with straw return had higher organic carbon stocks in the 0-50 cm layer compared to no-tillage with straw mulch. Additionally, the yields of rice and wheat were lower under no-tillage with straw mulch compared to plow tillage without straw return and plow tillage with straw return, attributed to high soil bulk densities and decreased nutrient availability. The yield losses in rice were greater under no-tillage with straw mulch and increased over time due to decreased nitrogen and phosphorus contents in the soil. In conclusion, plow tillage is more effective for carbon sequestration and yield improvement in rice-wheat farming compared to no-tillage with straw mulch.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ruixing Hou, Huarui Gong, Zhu Ouyang, Maxim Dorodnikov, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: No-tillage contributes to organic matter accumulation and carbon sequestration in soil. However, global warming may promote microbial activity and accelerate soil organic matter decomposition, especially in the topsoil. It is important to understand the response of microbial utilization of organic matter under no-tillage to higher temperatures in order to develop sustainable soil fertility management strategies.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jie Zhou, Yuan Wen, Bahar S. Razavi, Sebastian Loeppmann, Miles R. Marshall, Huadong Zang, Yakov Kuzyakov, Zhaohai Zeng, Michaela A. Dippold, Evgenia Blagodatskaya
Summary: A study conducted on agroecosystems explored the effects of long-term warming on microbial functions in the soil. It found that higher temperatures led to increased microbial growth but decreased the proportion of growing microbial biomass. The study also showed that increased availability of labile organic matter weakened the thermal acclimation of soil microbial functions. These findings suggest that the predicted impact of climate warming on soil microbe-driven CO2 emissions may be underestimated.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wei Qiang, Anna Gunina, Yakov Kuzyakov, Ruyi Luo, Yan Zhang, Bing Liu, Xueyong Pang
Summary: Gap formation due to forest thinning has significant effects on understorey microclimate, ground vegetation, and soil biodiversity. This study investigated the patterns and assemblage mechanisms of abundant and rare taxa under different sizes of thinning gaps. The results showed that the bacterial community remained stable under different thinning intensities, while the richness of rare fungal taxa was higher in large gaps. Soil physicochemical properties, such as total phosphorus and dissolved organic carbon, were the main factors influencing microbial communities. The study also found that thinning promoted understorey vegetation, rare saprotrophs, and mycorrhizal fungi, but also increased the abundance of endophyte-plant pathogens. Overall, fungi play a crucial role in forest restoration and nutrient cycling under increasing thinning intensity, but may also induce plant diseases, highlighting the importance of considering vegetation coverage and microbial diversity in evaluating the sustainability of artificial forest ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Chunli Wang, Wangmei Li, Ju Liu, Yakov Kuzyakov, Mingsheng Fan, Haiqing Chen
Summary: Though there is a lot of information about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the soil surface, only a few studies have investigated the depth-related GHG concentration and production within the soil. In this study, GHG flux measurements were coupled with subsurface GHG concentration analysis at different depths in grassland and cropland soils. Results showed that CO2 and N2O concentrations increased with soil depth, while CH4 decreased. The grassland had higher CO2 flux but lower CH4 uptake compared to the cropland.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Shengwen Xu, Ming Yuan, Stephen J. Chapman, Ningguo Zheng, Huaiying Yao, Yakov Kuzyakov
Summary: Organic fertilizers, such as black soldier fly frass derived from organic waste composts, have positive effects on soil fertility and rhizosphere microbiota, leading to enhanced maize growth. Among different types of frass, straw-derived frass showed the most significant benefits by providing sufficient phosphorous, optimal soil pH, and a satisfactory soil C/N ratio. The improvement in maize growth can be attributed to the mobilization of nutrients by active rhizosphere microbiota, which increased microbial diversity and the abundance of plant growth-promoting microbial taxa in acid phosphatase activity hotspots along the maize roots.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuhan Liu, Bin Jia, Yuchen Zhang, Hongyan Cui, Xiao Gang Li
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization stimulated by anaerobic conditions. The findings showed that SOC mineralization stimulated by waterlogging is dependent on the abundances of plant and microbial origins in the substrate. Two types of soils were sampled from alpine meadows with different textures, and the abundance of plant materials was regulated through the addition of maize residue. The results indicated that anaerobic conditions reduced the microbial use of plant-derived carbon and changed the biochemistry of SOC.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhen-Huan Guan, Zuonan Cao, Xiao Gang Li, Thomas Scholten, Peter Kuehn, Lin Wang, Rui-Peng Yu, Jin-Sheng He
Summary: Plants can modulate their phosphorus acquisition strategies to adapt to varying soil phosphorus availability. When soil phosphorus is low, nitrogen addition increases the release of carboxylates from plant roots and leads to a higher percentage of colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), along with decreased root length and specific root length (SRL). When soil phosphorus is higher, nitrogen addition increases the plant's demand for phosphorus, accompanied by an increase in root diameter and phosphatase activity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
C. Beraud, F. Piola, J. Gervaix, G. Meiffren, C. Creuze des Chatelliers, A. Delort, C. Boisselet, S. Poussineau, E. Lacroix, A. A. M. Cantarel
Summary: This study investigated the soil factors influencing the development of biological denitrification inhibition (BDI) and found that initial soil moisture, ammonium concentration, and the initial abundance of certain microbial genes play significant roles in BDI development. Additionally, the research highlighted the relevance of biotic factors in explaining BDI and proposed the use of procyanidin concentration from plant belowground system as a new proxy for measuring BDI intensity.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Yizhu Qiao, Tingting Wang, Qiwei Huang, Hanyue Guo, He Zhang, Qicheng Xu, Qirong Shen, Ning Ling
Summary: Soil microbial community coalescence, the mixing and interaction of microbial communities, has been found to enhance the stability and complexity of rhizobacterial networks, leading to improved plant health and biomass. This study investigated the effects of different degrees of bacterial community coalescence on plant disease resistance by mixing soils from healthy and diseased habitats for watermelon planting. The results showed that mixing in more healthy soil reduced the plant disease index and increased biomass by improving the stability and complexity of the rhizobacterial network. Core taxa Nitrospirillum and Singulisphaera were enriched in the rhizosphere from healthy soils and played important roles in disease suppression and regulating the positive cohesion and modularity of the networks. Overall, these findings provide insights into the potential mechanism of microbial community coalescence for improving plant microbial community function and suggest new tools for enhancing plant fitness via soil microbiota mixing.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Mengqiu He, Shending Chen, Lei Meng, Xiaoqian Dan, Wenjie Wang, Qinying Zhu, Zucong Cai, Jinbo Zhang, Pierfrancesco Nardi, Christoph Mueller
Summary: Maize genotypes directly affect gene expression and nitrogen uptake capacity. The feedback between maize genotypes and soil nitrogen transformations, as well as their regulations on nitrogen uptake capacity, have been studied. The findings suggest that maize genotypes play a central role in regulating these feedbacks, which are important for maize breeding and enhancing maize production.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Ke Shi, Jiahui Liao, Xiaoming Zou, Han Y. H. Chen, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Zhengming Yan, Tingting Ren, Honghua Ruan
Summary: Through rewilding, microbial extracellular and cellular residues can continuously accumulate in soils and significantly contribute to soil organic carbon sequestration. Extracellular residues are mainly driven by fine root biomass, while cellular residues are mainly driven by soil nitrogen and organic carbon content.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Sensen Chen, Ying Teng, Yongming Luo, Eiko Kuramae, Wenjie Ren
Summary: This study comprehensively assesses the effects of NMs on the soil microbiome through a global meta-analysis. The results reveal significant negative impacts of NMs on soil microbial diversity, biomass, activity, and function. Metal NMs, especially Ag NMs, have the most pronounced negative effects on various soil microbial community metrics.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Shareen K. D. Sanders, Gerard Martinez-De Leon, Ludovico Formenti, Madhav P. Thakur
Summary: Collembolans, the diverse group of soil invertebrates, are affected by anthropogenic climate warming, which alters their diversity and density. In addition to abiotic stressors, changes in food availability, specifically the abundance of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi, influence Collembola responses to climate warming. Collembolans prefer saprotrophic fungi but rely on mycorrhizal fungi when food sources are scarce. Understanding the mechanisms behind these dietary shifts in warm-dry and warm-wet soil conditions is crucial for predicting the impact of climate change on Collembola-fungal interactions.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Wimonsiri Pingthaisong, Sergey Blagodatsky, Patma Vityakon, Georg Cadisch
Summary: A study found that mixing high-C/N ratio rice straw with low-C/N ratio groundnut stover can improve the chemical composition of the input, stimulate microbial growth, decrease the loss of residue-derived carbon in the soil, and reduce native soil carbon and nitrogen consumption.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Jiachen Wang, Jie Zhao, Rong Yang, Xin Liu, Xuyuan Zhang, Wei Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan, Kelin Wang
Summary: Nitrogen is vital for ecosystem productivity, restoration, and succession processes. This study found that legume intercropping was more effective than chemical nitrogen fertilizers in promoting the complexity and stability of the soil micro-food web, as it increased microbial and nematode communities and enhanced energy flow patterns.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)